The Management recommends playing "Live and Let Die" as performed by Wings for certain parts of this chapter.

159:54:49

Alya got to the house about five minutes late. Still troubled by the discussion she had with Nino.

She looked up at the house and wanted to turn away. Ever since her brief stint as the Akumatized villain Lady Wifi, there was something about that house she just didn't like. Being around it felt... familiar, in the worst kind of way. Like she had been there before, and something horrible had happened to her. Like revisiting the sight of your own murder. Like standing at the foot of your own grave.

She took a deep breath and called at the gate.

“Yes?” a woman said through the intercom.

“It's Alya Cesaire,” she said timidly. “My friend told me to meet her here.”

“Oh, you must be Marinette's friend,” the woman replied. “She is expecting you. Come right in.”

The gate opened slowly. Alya swallowed hard and went inside.

She found Marinette in the foyer, huddled out of sight talking to Tikki. She ran up and hugged her friend. “Girl, I was so worried,” she said quietly. “Are you alright?”

“I'm fine,” Marinette said quietly. “The house should be fixed when we've purified the Akuma, but I don't know how safe we are here.” Her voice was shaking. She was trying to convince herself that it would be alright, even though she had seen her house go up in flames.

“If the Bandit knows who you are,” Tikki squeaked. “We can't be sure he won't broadcast that information.”

“He won't,” Marinette said bitterly. “He wants to lord it over me. 'Our little secret,' he said.”

“How could he have found out?” Alya asked.

“I don't know,” Marinette sighed. “Maybe my face is to exposed in the outfit. Better mask?”

“I'd say different hair,” Alya suggested. “Let it down when you suit up. It could look kind of cute.”

Marinette giggled, despite of everything. “Worth thinking about,” she smiled. “Anyway, we need to talk.”

“Right,” Alya nodded. “Bousquet's 'Jackpot'.”

“I was expecting, I dunno, a tank or something,” Marinette replied. “But no... It looked like one of those weird dice you see in those roleplaying games. But huge... Like the size of a beach ball.”

Alya frowned. “It sounds familiar...” She looked back into her mind. “Something they taught us in physics... I'll look into it. Now listen, about the dome.”

“He said something about Nanites,” Marinette added. “What are Nanites?”

“Really tiny robots,” Alya explained. “Microscopic machines meant to do work faster. Scientists want to use them for medical practice. Things that used to require surgery can now be taken care of by an injection, or even a deep breath.”

“Sounds great,” Marinette said. “Why isn't it commonplace yet?”

“Because the tech isn't perfect,” Alya answered. “People are rightly afraid that if you program Nanites to fix people, or build things, or destroy things, and then set them on auto they won't stop. Eventually consuming the planet, because they keep replicating. It's called the 'Grey Goo' theory.

“Is that what he's planning?” Marinette asked horrified. “Wash over the world with tiny robots?”

“No,” Alya shook her head. “There is a tech firm in Japan who thought of a solution to the Grey Goo problem. What they did was make it... I guess analog controlled is the best word. The Nanomass is connected to a device that links in to someone's brain. You're controlling it the whole way, and they won't act without your orders. The project is still in development, but a prototype has been made. I think that's what he's got here.”

“Maybe it works like the Lucky Charm!” Tikki chipped in. “It can only create things that exist in the real world.”

“So if he's not going to go all... Grey Goo on us,” Marinette said, scratching her chin. “What is the plan, then?”

“I don't know,” Alya added. “I'll try to find out more about the jackpot in the meantime.”

Tikki hid herself out of sight when the three of them heard someone coming. They looked up the stairs to see Adrien and his Father talking with Marinette's mother.

“I will ask you not to go into the attic room,” Gabriel continued. “I'm working on many sensitive projects in there. Other than that, the house, and all of its amenities are open to you. Please feel free to stay as long as you like.”

“Thank you, Mr. Agreste,” Sabine said quietly. “It really is too kind of you.”

“What's happened to you is unfair, and unjust,” Gabriel said kindly. “I see it as my duty to help.”

Alya looked at Gabriel Agreste. When Hawk Moth had entered her mind, she had a glimpse of him in her mind. A tall, imposing figure, who's face was obscured by a silver mask. But that voice was unmistakable. It belonged to Gabriel Agreste. Seeing him here felt all too familiar, just like being in the house itself.

“Mr. Agreste?” Alya asked. “May I ask a favor?”

Gabriel looked concerned. “Yes, Alya?”

“May I spend tonight here?” Alya said sweetly. “Marinette is pretty shaken up, and I'd like to keep her company.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “As long as you ask your parents, I'm sure it will be fine...” He gave Alya one more suspicious look, and headed back upstairs.

“Alya,” Adrien said. “Why-?”

“I want to keep Marinette safe,” she replied. She marched over to Adrien and whispered low. “And you. The Bandit knows who you two are, so I'm sticking to you like glue.”

“Alya,” Marinette marched up to the two. “You aren't a superhero. What can you do?”

“Nothing,” Alya answered honestly. “But if he knows who you are...”

“He might know who you are,” Marinette finished. “Okay, You stick as close to us as you need to.”

“The house is built like a fortress,” Adrien said. “You should be safe here.”

“Thank you,” Alya nodded. “Let me call my parents.”

Alya walked off on her own to call her parents, and then to call Nino. She was allowed in the house, and Nino wasn't. This was good. She had had her suspicions for a long time, and if she was going to investigate, she needed a contact on the outside. She needed someone to relay information to as she found it.

Someone to know what happened if Hawk Moth didn't let her come home.

149:00:00

It was 9am on the cold October Saturday as Marinette looked across the roof to the Nanite dome with the huge ominous timer on it. Slowly counting down to zero hour. She had worked out that whatever was going to happen was going to happen at 10pm next Friday. The problem was, she didn't know what that was going to be. People were starting to worry.

The Government had talked about evacuating Paris, but to Mayor Bourgeois credit, he refused to leave. Saying that while the they should consider evacuating the civilians, he wouldn't run at the sight of a lunatic like the Bandit. It was a shameless election ploy, but hell, it worked on Marinette. The next election happened in two years. She'd be of legal voting age by then. Bourgeois had her vote.

The city stood firm with the Mayor. They had faith in Ladybug.

Now if only Ladybug had faith in herself.

She looked up at the ticking clock, and came to a decision. She wasn't just going to wait out the countdown. Not after what that Monster did to her father, and her home. She had to do something proactive.

“Tikki,” she called. “What can the Lucky Charm do? Exactly.”

Her Kwami appeared from her bag. “Like I told you,” she squeaked. “The Lucky Charm gives you the item you need to solve your current problem, after that it's up to you to figure out how to use it. You also only have about five minutes before you change back.”

“My current problem,” Marinette repeated. “What if I have several?”

“Well then, pick the first one,” Tikki replied.

“You mean the most important?” Marinette wondered.

“No,” Tikki shook her head. “The one that comes first. Say you were lost in the desert. That seems like one problem, but it's really several. Your biggest problem would probably be getting out of the desert, but that isn't the priority. So you'd want to use it to get yourself some water. Either a bottle of it, or a map to it.”

“Why can't I try to solve all the problems at once?” Marinette replied. “Like... I dunno, a teleporter to warp me to a hotel in Maui.”

“Because you have no idea how to use a teleporter,” Tikki squeaked. “And you wouldn't have thought to bring it before you went into the desert. It depends on you. If you somehow had all of the information as to what would be going on, where it would be happening, and who would be involved, what would you have thought to bring.”

Marinette thought for a moment. It made sense from what had happened to her in past battles with Akumatized villains.

“Think, Marinette,” Tikki said. “What do you need right now?"

Marinette thought for a moment. “Information,” she said finally. “I need to know what he's planning under that dome. If I need to stop it now, or if it would be better to wait. I need something to get me some information.”

“Well?” Tikki squeaked. “What are you waiting for?”

Marinette nodded. “Tikki! Spots on!”

The transformation took hold, and Ladybug stood on the roof. She thought her problem through. Information. What she needed was some information about what was going on inside the Nanite Dome. She closed her eyes, focused, and spun her Yo-Yo.

“Lucky Charm!”

The energy spun out from the weapon and coalesced above her. Coming together to produce...

What couldn't have been more than a 20 euro flip phone.

Marinette was nearly infuriated. As if the phone was telling her that if she wanted information, she should call 00 and ask for it. Not knowing what else to do, she opened the phone. There was only one option available. Contacts.

She opened the menu, and found one number listed. 00 42 95 66 84. The contact was listed as “Information.”

She called the number, and the phone rang.

And then it rang again.

And again.

On the fourth ring, someone picked up. “My caller ID lists you as Ladybug...” The man spoke with an accent. He had learned French very early on in his life, but he was from America, or Canada. “That means you are either the Boss being funny, or somehow, a Superheroine got the number for this burner phone. I'm leaning toward B, because I don't have anyone named 'Ladybug' listed in my phone.”

“What if I was Ladybug?” Ladybug asked.

“You are Ladybug,” he sighed. “The Bandit is many things but he's no impressionist... Besides, he's still in his little office.”

Ladybug's eyes widened. She was talking to one of the Bandit's subordinates. She was talking to someone under the dome.

“Interesting,” the man continued, seemingly amused. “Ironic, and not altogether inconvenient. I needed a contact on the outside and you'll do as well as anyone.”

“If you have information for me, start talking fast,” she said quickly. “This phone won't exist for much longer.”

“I see,” the man said knowingly. “For now, at least, you can call me Martin.”

148:45:22

Alya sat on a Park bench, computer open on her lap. She was as far away from the Agrestes house as she could walk. She was waiting. Waiting for her nerves to settle, waiting for the Ladyblog to produce results, and finally, waiting for her contact.

The park was eerily quiet. While Paris hadn't evacuated, the Nanite swarm had spooked people. They were mostly staying inside on what was a lovely autumn morning.

She felt someone sit on the Bench next to her. “Yo,” her contact said cheerfully. “How have you been?”

“Nino, I just spent the night in a house that reminds me of when I was mind controlled,” Alya sniped. “i haven't slept.”

Nino exhaled. “Look, if you don't want to-”

“No, it's fine,” Alya sighed. “Marinette is going to be staying there for a while. I don't want to leave her there alone just in case you're right.”

“You find out anything?” Nino asked.

“I found out that if Gabriel Agreste is Hawk Moth, he doesn't keep evidence around his house,” Alya responded. “I combed the place from top to bottom last night looking for evidence and found nothing. There are a couple of places I couldn't check. A wall safe and an attic room.”

“Attic room?” Nino turned to face Alya. “An observation room? With a big round window?

“The thought had occurred to me, but it's a genetic lock,” Alya explained. “You need DNA sample open it.”

“You've got to spit on it?” Nino asked, disgusted.

“Breathe on it,” Alya corrected. “Sophisticated tech. It picks up on your genetic material to open the lock. Only an Agreste is getting in that room.”

Nino flopped back in defeat. “Well, if you're staying, see what else you can find,” Nino sighed. “If it weren't for Hawk Moth-”

“We wouldn't be in this situation, I know,” Alya sighed. “Would you just come on already?!”

“What?!” Nino shot up. “What did I do?!”

“Sorry, that wasn't at you,” Alya said, burying her face in her hands for a moment. “I gave the Ladyblog a description of Bousquet's 'Jackpot'.”

“The copper soccer ball thing?” Nino raised an eybrow. “What have you gotten so far?”

“Four 'Sorry, no ideas,'” Alya said miserably. “Three people who think it's a highschool soccer trophy, a few people who say it sounds like a ten sided die, and one guy who just wrote the word 'Pork' three hundred times in the comment box.”

“I'm honestly wishing it would turn out to be pork now,” Nino said, trying to cheer Alya up.

She gave a week smile. “I'm relying on internet comments to save my city,” she said with a note of gallows humor. “Paris is doomed.”

“Keep trying. Eventually-” Nino was cut off by the website making a sound. “Heck, maybe now, something will come up.”

“That's a notification,” Alya sighed. “May as well check it out.” She refreshed the page with low hopes. They raised a little when they saw the comment. “Hey! It's a paragraph!” She said lightly. “Made of multiple different words and everything!”

“Good sign,” Nino leaned in to read the comment.

“Let's see...” Alya began to read aloud. “'I think I know what you've got here. Cousin of mine used to work for Lockheed and he described something similar. I think what you've got your hands... on...”

The rest of the comment was read in a horrified silence.

“Alya, I need you to tell me I'm reading that wrong,” Nino asked darkly.

“Nope,” Alya responded weakly. Still stunned.

“Honestly, we should have seen this coming,” Nino said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “The guy's basically Snidely Whiplash in a tacky suit.”

Alya shot up from the bench, stowing her Laptop in her bag. “Taxi!”

“I'm coming with you,” Nino insisted.

“No you're not,” Alya said firmly. “You're going to my house to get some things. I'll text you a list later. Then make you're way over to the house. I'll make excuses to Natalie and Agreste if they see you. But you need to get over there. From now on, we're full-time hero support.

“If Bousquet has his hands on a nuke...” Alya started. “Do I even need to finish?”

Logic: You have... ZERO idea how to write the Lucky Charm, do you?

Me: Not even a little, gotta be honest. It's a hard power to write around, gotta be honest. It's always the damn I Win button in the show, so I had to squiff it a little here to both keep the tension, and not nerf the thing. Not sure if I succeeded.

Logic: Fair enough. Nice job giving that Martin guy a point.

Me: Yep! He'll be a part of the next few chapters. Usually off-screen.

Logic: What's with the Number?

Me: That's how the French do phone numbers according to Google.

Logic: Oh. That's why it's all weird... Wait a minute... OH COME ON!!

Me: Why yes. There is an explanation as to why he's ratting on the Bandit. No, I'm not telling you what it is. Wait and see.

Logic: Also, seriously? A nuke? You made a nuke look like something random, just to throw people off?

Me: No, I didn't. This is a real thing, and I will talk about it next chapter.

Also, if you want to see this on a more professional format, check it out on Archive Of Our Own.